Resume Help Blog

Posts Tagged ‘career changes’

Out of work for months? Don’t allow your professional skills to atrophy. Here are some things to do to keep that from happening.

In July, five million people in the U.S. were considered long-term unemployed—meaning they had been jobless for 27 weeks or more. Career counselors say that as weeks turn into months, job-hunters need to polish and update their skills to stay current. They should look for ways to network while they do so, and avoid spending lots of money. That’s not news to anyone in this position.  “You want to get the biggest bang for your buck,” says J.T. O’Donnell, a career coach in North Hampton, N.H.

Here are some strategies:

• Stay connected to industry associations. Check out your membership rights with trade groups or unions. Many times, you can continue your membership for free or at a reduced rate if you’re out of work. “That means you get booklets, magazines, all the information that will help keep you up to date with what’s going on,” says Gerry Crispin, co-founder CareerXroads, a Kendall Park, N.J., consulting firm that helps companies recruit.  There are excellent Executive Search companies on the Internet.
• Hit conferences. Attend industry or professional conferences by checking out association Web sites and groups on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
• Join local interest groups. Local organizations like the chamber of commerce provide good networking opportunities and sometimes offer skills classes. Offer to help run the program committee, which sets the agenda for speakers and events. You’ll get a say in who is invited and network with guests. This keeps your face in front of people.
• Take classes—in person. Taking an online class is easy, but it eliminates that face-to-face networking that often lands jobs and opens doors, says Ms. O’Donnell. “You need something where you physically show up,” she says.
• Consider entry-level coursework. One of Ms. O’Donnell’s clients was laid off from a project management job in banking. He wanted to become a project manager at a software company, but didn’t know the lingo. He took a basic Web design class; his younger classmates taught him industry terminology. “He came back so excited about learning a new industry and was much better prepared for interviews,” she says.
• Add advanced skills. Getting a certification can boost your resume. Auditing a high-level class at a local college can improve skills and help you keep up with new developments. Check colleges to see if they offer free or discounted rates for unemployed people.
• See what training programs your state offers to the unemployed. New Jersey offers grants for non-degree business classes at Rutgers University as well as free community college classes if there are open seats.
• In Michigan, the state’s “No Worker Left Behind” program offers up to two years’ worth of free tuition in the state university system for unemployed and underemployed workers.
• Write about your industry and connect more online. Start a blog about your industry. Or find five people you always wanted to interview and write an article for a local publication or industry blog. That way you keep your name out there, make new connections and continue to learn, Ms. O’Donnell says.

Sometimes your resume can hurt more than help you. In today’s job-search market, you are often competing against large numbers of applicants, and your resume has to be good enough to make it past the first screening.

The first people to view your resume are often lower-level staff looking for a quick way to weed candidates out of consideration. You can minimize the chances of your resume being eliminated during this round by following three simple rules.

LESS IS MORE

Don’t tell too much. A good resume should leave the prospective employer with a whetted appetite, a desire to know more. They will be likely to call and phone-screen you. So don’t fill in all the details just yet. Save that for the interview. Do, however, paint a big picture of who you are and what you can offer.

For example, you may have worked several years at your present employer. Certainly you could fill up several paragraphs with all that you’ve done. Instead, think of the one or two most critical projects, duties or functions that you provide. List the most important and give them no more than a sentence or two each.

Here is an example:

EXPERIENCE: Mar 2003 to Present: XYZ Company, Their City, CA Senior staff design engineer. Products designed/Projects involved: A, B, C. Description of Most Important Project and why Description of 2nd most important project and why

Skip the hobbies and personal info. Avoid mind-numbing detail that will cause a reader’s eyes to glaze over. One page is ideal — two pages only if you are a 15- to 20-year veteran with a significant growth and promotion history.

MORE KEYWORDS

You want the computers to flag your resume for closer examination. Do this by including as many keywords as possible that are relevant to your job and your job skills, as well as specific industry words that may be appropriate. A convenient method to accomplish this is to include a separate “Keywords” section on your resume just below the “Objective”. Think of this as an important catchall specifically for the computers to “see”.

Here is an example from a candidate employed as a medical quality assurance auditor:

KEYWORDS: Quality System, QA, QS, Audit, Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), International Standards (ISO), Corrective and Preventive Action Programs (CAPA), training, QSR, Medical Device, calibration, 510K, TQM, PMA, FDA.

Also, include the names of major companies you worked with or for, as this often is important to employers. Include those in the “Experience” section.

BE SPECIFIC

Don’t just tell them what you did. Move beyond that and tell the benefit of your accomplishment.  A good way to do this is to include several specific ways you helped your employer make money or save money. Remember, the only benefit you can bring to the table is past performance. When you interview (either phone or in person) this is what will be discussed.

Think of all your jobs in the past and bring forth examples of some of your best work. How can an employer think of you as a problem solver? If at all possible, try to “monetize” your accomplishments (state them in terms of money). At the interview, you will be prepared to enlarge upon these successes.

SUMMARY

Building an effective resume doesn’t have to be drudgery. Using the above three guidelines will keep your resume lean and to the point standing a greater chance of landing on the “to call” stack and getting you a phone screen.

If you are a more experienced worker your resume should be more definitive than a new graduate. Obviously a college graduates resume is going to be more general in nature while yours the “more experienced” should showcase to your potential employer what you can “bring to the table”. After all you have a proven track record and you want to show it in the best possible light.

Here Are Some Tips To Keep In Mind:

• Give a summary, not an objective. Select three or four skills that match the employer’s needs and specify these. These highlights can appear in a short paragraph or quick “bullet” format.
• Lead with experience, not education (the exact opposite of what a new graduate should do).
• List your accomplishments, not just your responsibilities. Don’t just tell employers what you did; tell them the outcome. For example: “Proposed and tracked $500,000 annual departmental budget. Only division to meet deadlines and operate within budget during past three years.” Making such a statement reveals your problem-solving abilities.
• List activities that relate directly to your self-improvement efforts, e.g., continuing education, and the position you’re seeking. Don’t include hobbies.
• Your resumes length should be determined based on your accomplishments. An experienced candidate often has enough relevant accomplishments to expand his or her resume to a second page. That does not, however, give you license to spell out every award, membership, or accomplishment in your resume. It’s one thing to boast of your accomplishments but you don’t want to dilute the focus.
• Tailor each resume to include the accomplishments that relate to a particular employer’s needs.

Ref: National Association of Colleges and Employers